The advent of set-top-box devices and other media content access devices (“access devices”) has provided users with access to a large number and variety of media content choices. For example, a user may choose to experience a variety of broadcast television programs, pay-per-view services, video-on-demand programming, Internet services, and audio programming via a set-top-box device.
Such access devices have also provided service providers (e.g., television service providers) with an ability to present targeted advertising to specific users or groups of users. For example, designated advertisement channels may be used to deliver various targeted advertisements to an access device associated with a particular user. The access device may switch from being tuned to a program channel carrying a media content program to being tuned to one of the advertisement channels during an advertisement break in the media content program in order to present advertisement content carried by the advertisement channel to the user. After the advertisement content has been presented, the access device may tune back to the program channel.
However, each designated advertisement channel uses valuable bandwidth that could otherwise be allocated to program channels for use in distributing additional media content programs. Accordingly, due to the finite nature of bandwidth, conventional use of designated advertisement channels to carry targeted advertisements to access devices reduces the quantity and/or variety of media content programs that can be offered to users of a media service provided by a service provider.